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First Battle of Invictus Majoris
The First Battle of Invictus Majoris was a large-scale armed confrontation in 825.M41 between Imperial, Eldar & Ork forces. It comprised the first major victory of Waaagh! Urtsmog following the failure of the Disciples of Dorn to kill Warboss Urtsmog Dekkmaff two months prior at the Battle of St. Klara's Pass. It also comprised the first recorded overt action by Eldar warbands within Innsmouth Sector. Background to Events Two months prior to the First Battle of Invictus Majoris, a detachment from the Disciples of Dorn Space Marine Chapter attempted a decapitating strike against Warboss Urtsmog Dekkmaff, the leader of Waaagh! Urtsmog. What had previously been a squabbling confederation of Ork tribes had been quickly organised by Warboss Dekkmaff into a serious threat to Imperial assets within Innsmouth Sector, and the Disciples of Dorn were requested to intervene. This resulted in the Battle of St. Klara's Pass, where the Disciples were defeated by the Warboss' bodyguard forces. Following this victory, Warboss Dekkmaff continued to consolidate his position of power. Using the evidence of his victory against the Astartes as proof of his martial prowess, he successfully annexed the remaining large groups of Orks that were not already pledged to his command. Urtsmog then officially declared his Waaagh! and set his sights upon the nearby hive city of Invictus Majoris Industrius. As the assembed forces of the Waaagh! began their relentless surge towards Hive Invictus Majoris Industrius, the Disciples of Dorn rallied available forces from the 2nd and 4th line Companies to stand against Urtsmog at Echo Sector of the Outer Defensive Line (ODL), a ring of fortifications that circled the city. A general distress call was issued to all nearby Imperial forces to assist in the defence of the city, urging all loyal citizens of the Imperium to do their duty. Their call was answered by a Blood Angels fleet that was traversing Innsmouth Sector on their way to Baal. Mephiston himself was commanding the fleet as it escorted a large group of Blood Angels that had recently succumbed to the Black Rage. Upon receiving the distress signal, Mephiston made the decision to divert course and unleash the rage-inflicted Blood Angels upon the Orks. By the time the fleet landed on Invictus Majoris, those blood-crazed Astartes were adorned with the colours of the Death Company. In the hours before the battle, Ordo Xenos Inquisitor Malfus Tyria was approached by a mysterious warband of Eldar. The secretive xenos offered a temporary truce to the Inquisitor and placed their powerful weaponry at the Imperium's disposal for the destruction of the Waaagh!'s larger vehicles and walkers. Facing an overwhelming crush of Ork forces, Inqusitor Tyria agreed with the Eldar's offer. The xenos warband took to the battlefield in secret, avoiding contact with the other Imperial forces wherever possible in their strikes against the Ork advance. Battle Narrative First Contact When Waaagh! Urtsmog barrelled into Echo Sector around mid-morning local time, the Imperial forces were waiting for them. Forces from the Blood Angels Death Company were embarked upon transports in the centre and right flanks of the defensive line, and they began their advance at the first sign of Ork contact. Supporting them in the centre were elements of the Disciples of Dorn 2nd, 4th & 1st Companies, themselves also embarked upon their own transports and supported by Dreadnoughts. The mysterious Eldar forces were largely arrayed along the left flank of the defensive line, although elements of their force had not yet (literally) materialised from aboard their orbiting starships. The Orks were not phased by this pre-emptive counter-assault. Whilst the looted Baneblade Gorkz Hamma advanced from the rear of their formation towards the centre of the Ork advance, a green-tinged tornado of Ork-filled Trukks stormed towards the Imperial lines with the sole focus of disgorging their charges into melee as soon as possible. Meanwhile, a Mega Stompa on the Ork's left flank began to make its lumbering way towards the Imperial forces facing it down. Eldar forces then announce their presence with a Deep Strike move that places a squad of warriors within firing distance of the Mega Stompa. In a blaze of energy, these warriors open fire upon the Mega Stompa with their immensely powerful rifle-like weapons. Similarly, an Eldar walker on the left flank attacks Gorkz Hamma in an immense close-combat assault. The hope is that the Eldar can strike a swift, early blow to the most dangerous single units in the Waaagh!'s arsenal, thus taking pressure off the Imperial lines and allowing them to deal with the horde of Boyz that were advancing upon their front. Eldar bikes and foot soldiers on the Imperial's left flank also do some damage to incoming Ork Trukks, destroying several in a blaze of fire and machine parts. Super-Heavy Threats Devastatingly for the defenders, the Ork super-heavies both survive the Eldar special weapon assaults. Some smaller victories are scored by the Disciples of Dorn as their Dreadnoughts manage to immobilise one Trukk and destroy another. Meanwhile, the Death Company forces of the Blood Angels deploy at point blank range from their transports in the face of the oncoming Ork Trukks. Using squad-based Melta Guns, the Blood Angels fire into the advancing Ork horde, destroying several more Trukks at almost spitting distance. Waaagh! Urtsmog continues its advance into the Imperial lines, losing very little momentum due to the sheer number of Trukks and Boyz in its retinue. Now at close range to the Blood Angels, the Ork forces disembark en-masse and charge straight into the ranks of the Death Company Astartes in front of them. Bloody close combat ensues with substantial casualties on both sides, whilst the Disciples of Dorn form firing lines to the Blood Angels' rear and attempt to provide supporting fire. Facing the onslaught of the massive Eldar walker, Gorkz Hamma backs away from the assault in order to gain a firing advantage upon the enemy. Training its guns downrange, Gorkz Hamma launches a massive volley of shells from its main gun towards the now-deploying ranks of the Disciples of Dorn. In an astonishing example of the God-Emperor's light protecting His servants, this apocalyptic mega-blast completely misses its target, sparing each and every member of the Disciples' formation. Despite this temporary reprieve, the Disciples are unable to avoid a second apocalyptic strike from the Ork's Mega Stompa. This shot lands true, and takes the lives of 7 Tactical Marines, 1 Terminator, and destroys a Rhino transport from the 2nd Company. Nonetheless, the casualties are not as high as they could have been if both strikes had found their mark. As the front line settles due to the bloody close combat between Orks and Blood Angels, air support from the Eldar forces arrives in the battle area. Vengeance in the Face of Defeat Whilst the front line continues to hold as Ork and Blood Angel hack each-other's forces in close combat frenzy, the super-heavy threat still remains. Eldar air support manages to kill several more Ork units, but is ineffective in attempting to destroy either Baneblade or Mega-Stompa. Nonetheless, a concentrated attack by Eldar Fire Prisms result in the eventual destruction of Gorkz Hamma, taking the massive vehicle out of action and resulting in its salvage to the rear echelons by Grot servants. Similarly, the Imperial's right flank sees a Blood Angel assault that eliminates an Ork squad and places the frenzied Marines of the Death Company in close-combat melee with the Mega Stompa. In a final act of blood-enraged defiance, the Astartes tear through the armour of the Mega Stompa and literally rip the massive machine to shreds. Suffering catastrophic damage, the Mega Stompa's reactor goes critical and explodes in a small nuclear blast. The Blood Angels are destroyed alongside their prize, but their victory cry echoes across the battlefield even as they are incinerated. Meanwhile, Ork forces - including Urtsmog Dekkmaff himself - manage to gain the upper hand over the Blood Angels through sheer weight of numbers. Several of the units break through the Blood Angels lines and wreak devastating close-combat havoc on the firing lines of the Disciples of Dorn. Unable to match the rampaging bloodlust of the Orks in close-combat, the Disciples are forced to call a tactical retreat to more defensive ground. The Blood Angels Death Company forces are killed to a man, sacrificing their lives in the service of their Emperor even in their state of constant rage and agony. The Eldar, seeing that the battle is rapidly turning against them, elect at this time to withdraw from the battlefield. As the remaining Imperial forces retreat in the face of the unstoppable Ork advance, Waaagh! Urtsmog charges onwards past the Outer Defensive Line and on towards the city. Aftermath Blood Angels Defiant Despite the overall Imperial defeat, the Death Company forces of the Blood Angels acquitted themselves with nobility and honour in combat. Imperial commanders in the region praised Mephiston's quick thinking in diverting his charges to the battlefield and risking their untested abilities in combat following their fall to the Black Rage. In recognition of their sacrifices, Innsmouth Sector Command of the Departmento Munitorum presented the Blood Angels with a vassal world in the Bravos system of Innsmouth Sub-Sector. Previously known as Bravos IV, it was renamed Port Black in honour of the Death Company forces that sacrificed their lives to destroy the Mega Stompa of Waaagh! Urtsmog before it could bring its guns to bear on a major population centres. A detachment of Blood Angels along with fleet assets are now permanently stationed within the area. Disciples Chastened The failure of the Disciples of Dorn to hold the forces of Waaagh! Urtsmog at bay for a second time was a devastating blow to the morale of the Chapter. The Disciples had determined to regain their honour following their defeat at the Battle of St. Klara's Pass several months earlier, and being forced to withdraw in the face of the Ork mob was a crippling strike to the Chapter's heart. An immediate tactical and disciplinary review of the entire Chapter was ordered, and the Disciples were chastised by the highest levels of Imperial sectoral government. Eldar Revealed The battle revealed the first known sightings of the mysterious Eldar within Innsmouth Sector. It is unknown from where the Eldar appeared, nor why they chose to help Imperial forces at the time. Ordo Xenos Inquistor Malfus Tyria immediately set up an expedition to track down these allies-of-convenience and attempt to keep them under surveillance, less their mysterious plans clash rather than mesh with the Imperium's objectives in the future. Orks Victorious The defeat of the Imperial defenders gave Urtsmog Dekkmaff his first strategic victory on Invictus Majoris. With the Outer Defensive Line breached, only token resistance stood in the way of Waaagh! Urtsmog's advance towards Hive Invictus Majoris Industrius. The Orks would soon fall upon the city and devastate its infrastructure and population, killing millions and damaging Imperial logistics in Innsmouth Sector of decades to come.